Wayne Rooney admits he was ‘ready’ to leave Manchester United in 2010 and has revealed the three clubs he was close to joining.
United and England’s record goalscorer handed in a transfer request in 2010 after a falling out with legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Rooney ended up committing his future to Manchester United by signing a new long-term contract but was for a brief period the most coveted player in world football, with a host of clubs keen to secure his signature.
Jose Mourinho famously hoped to bring the Man United hero to Chelsea but Rooney says he could have also joined Spanish giants Barcelona or Real Madrid.
‘I think it was well documented that Chelsea and Mourinho wanted to sign me,’ Rooney said on the UTD Podcast.
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‘There was Real Madrid, Barcelona and the Man City thing keeps cropping up, but there was never the option for me to go there.
‘Although there were rumours on that as well, but the other three, really, were more realistic options.
‘In my head, at the time, in that two-day period, I was ready to go and play in Spain.
‘Ideally, I would have liked to have gone to Barcelona, but it was looking more likely to be Real Madrid than Barcelona. Chelsea were always there as well.
‘After a couple of days, I spoke to David Gill again and when there were those protests at my house, I’d actually already agreed to sign the new contract by that time.
‘I was thinking “Jesus”, it was three o’clock in the morning and I didn’t fancy going out to calm down 20 or 30 lads with their hoods up!
‘I was thinking I could have slotted in perfectly. I could have come to the ball as well and have players running in behind.
‘I remember thinking about that, but the biggest thing for me was it was sorted out – I had good conversations with David Gill to get it sorted.’
Rooney finished his Manchester United career with 253 goals in 559 appearances and having helped the club win five Premier League titles and the Champions League.
